LS passes Railways (Amendment) Bill; minister says won't lead to privatisation
The Bill intends to strengthen the authority of the Railway Board and enhance operational efficiency
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 with railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw dismissing the allegations of the Bill leading to privatisation of railways as a “fake narrative” set by a few Opposition members.
The Bill, tabled by Vaishnaw on December 4 aiming to amend the Railways Act, 1989, intends to strengthen the authority of the Railway Board and enhance operational efficiency.
"A few members have said the Bill will lead to privatisation of railways; an attempt has been made to set a fake narrative. I want to appeal to them with all sincerity not to do this, their one fake narrative about the Constitution has already failed,” Vaishnaw said in Parliament on Wednesday.
"Our objective is to modernise and strengthen the railways and not to privatise them. There will be no compromise on railway safety. The safety of track, train and level crossing will be enhanced. The old tracks are getting the benefit of being renovated on a wartime basis. New technology is being used to understand the problems on the tracks,” he added.
Railway Board
The amendment Bill aims to enhance the Railway Board’s effectiveness and autonomy by granting it legal powers. It authorises the central government to define the structure of the Railway Board, including the number of members, their qualifications and professional experience.
It also aims to improve efficiency and share decision-making power by giving more independence to Railway Zones, a recommendation supported by many committees, including the 2014 Sreedharan Committee.
Another important proposal is to set up an independent regulator to manage tariffs, ensure safety, and oversee private sector involvement in the Railways. This idea was also suggested by the Committee on Restructuring Railways in 2015.
These changes are expected to speed up the approval of train services, helping meet pending requests from different regions more quickly.
The minister had said that the Railways, as an organisation, was originally separated from the Public Works Department (PWD) with the enactment of the Railway Board Act in 1905 during the British rule.